A remarkable album containing 77 postcards documenting details of life in Ruhleben Prisoner of War Camp will be offered for sale in Bonhams’ Postcard sale at Knightsbridge on 22 March.
Every card in the album has been signed by British prisoner of war George Muffin, who was interned at Ruhleben bei Spandau, Berlin, between 1914 – 1918. In immaculate handwriting, he also addressed each card to friends and family members. Without messages or stamps, however, his correspondence went no further, and remains instead a fascinating insight into the experience of over 4,000 British civilian prisoners during WW1, with photographs of inmates, activities and different views of the camp.
The concentration camp was hastily constructed in 1914 at the Ruhleben racecourse near Berlin, and the majority of prisoners taken in stayed there until the end of the war. Life was monotonous for the inmates, but more comfortable than in many other camps. The Germans strictly adhered to the Geneva Convention, and allowed the prisoners to run internal matters themselves. Desperate to recreate normal civilian life, their enterprise knew no bounds and within a year the camp featured its own casino, tailor, bookshop, barbershop, printed its own glossy magazine and operated a postal system – the Ruhleben Express Delivery – with different stamps to handle over 6000 items of mail every month which were delivered to other camps.
It is possible that George Muffin painstakingly signed and addressed these cards and kept them together for someone else to post for him. The range of photographs that he collected is extraordinary: sketches and photographs of the buildings, the barbershop, ‘Line-up’ at Hot-Water House’ , the Handicrafts
Exhibition, sporting fixtures and no end of publicity for the revues, concerts and productions that the Ruhleben Drama and Music societies performed.
Ruhleben imprisoned men of many talents and theatrical highlights included Twelfth Night, Mikado and The Importance of Being Earnest. The postcards in the collection show men in costumes – often in drag – advertising different productions. The well-known Canadian musician Ernest MacMillan, while a ‘camper’ as the inmates referred to themselves, conducted a series of orchestral concerts including Liszt’s Concerto in E flat, with fellow Canadian Harry Field on the piano.
Sporting fixtures were also very popular and the cards in the sale show a variety of team photos and games in action with football being the best attended by both players and supporters. No wonder – the “England” side was captained by Steve Bloomer, who was one of the most famous and well-loved England players before the war, and the opposition (“The Rest”) was led by Scottish International John Cameron, remembered for scoring for Spurs when they won the FA Cup in 1901.
EVERY PICTURE POSTCARD TELLS A STORY
The Ruhleben album is just one lot in the Bonhams sale. Every picture tells a story and there are thousands on offer. From views of Brighton Seafront to pictures of Chinese cavalrymen, from albums of royal photographs to a history of the British transport system, there are pieces of history from around the globe.
All are offered in good condition with the exception of one handwritten card which has been badly singed. It is thought to have been the victim of an arson attack by one of Emily Pankhurst’s fellow suffragettes who posted a phial of explosives into the postbox.
For more details visit the Bonhams web site.
